Steam-pipe for locomotive-engines.



' J. E. MUHLFELD & H. R. STAFFORD.

STEAM PIPE FOR LOGOMOTIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17, 1914.

VENTORS fig 4 all I Patented Nov. '17, 1914.

UNITED STATES P ailENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. MUHLFELD, 0F SCARSDALE, NEW YORK, AND HAL R. STAFFORD, 0F

PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

STEAM-PIPE FOR LOCOMOTIVE-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN E. MUHLreLn, of Scarsdale, in the county of \Vestchester and State of New York, and HAL R. STAF- rom), of Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have jointly invented a certain new and useful Improve ment in Steam-Pipes for Locomotive-Engines, of which improvement the following is a specification.

()ur invention relates to outside steam pipes for locomotive engines, and its object is to provide means whereby the accurate assembly of the valve chest with the cylinder and steam pipe, and the removal and replacement of the chest, as, from time to time, becomes necessary, may be readily and conveniently effected.

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of a steam pipe and connected valve chest embodying our invention; and Fig. 2, a front view, partly in elevation, and partly in section, of the same.

The advantages of the application of outside steam pipes in locomotives are now so well recognized, that they may be said to have become standard in present practice, these advantages being, principally, the following. First, the exclusion of high temperature steam from passages within the cylinder saddle castings, which passages, by reason of being rigidly connected with cooler walls of the castings, are subject to fracture due to difference of expansion. Second, the provision of steam pipes carried through the sides of the smoke box to its outside, instead of through its bottom as in the case of inside steam pipes, relieves the smoke box from a substantial amount of obstruction, and correspondingly presents a freer passage for the products of combustion to the stack, as well as facilitates access to the parts within the smoke box. Our invention is designed to enable these advantages to be made as fully available as practicable, by providing such means of attachment of the valve chests to the steam pipes as will eliminate objections which obtain under prior constructions.

Our invention is herein exemplified as ap-\ plied in connection with a valve chest, 10,

of rectangular section, provided with a pis skilled in the art, that our invention is 1 equally applicable in connection with a c, lindrical valve chest used for the reception of a piston distribution valve, and detach able from the cylinder.

In the practice of our invention, the a. a chest, 10, is provided, on its top, with an outwardly projecting integral steam admis sion passage, 10 which is of cylindrica form, and has a circumferential flange, 1 cast on its top. The outside steam Suppl pipe, 15, passes through the side of the smoke box, 16, and extends dow'nwardly in the direction of the valve chest, in the usual manner, and a joint section, 17, of corresponding bore, is interposed between its lower end, on which there is cast a circumferential flange, 15*, or equivalently, a plu-- rality of circumferential lugs, and the steam admission passage, 10", of the valve chest. (ircumferential flanges, 17, are cast on the ends of the joint section, 17, which are rela ti vely inclined, its lower end being parallel with the upper end of the steam admission passage, 10", and its upper end parallel with the lower end of the outside steam pipe, 15, joint section, for the connection of a lubricator pipe. Joint rings, 17", are fitted be-- tween the joint section, 17, and the steam admission passage, 10, and steam pipe, 15, said joint rings being ground fiat on one end, to abut against correspondingly ground faces on the ends of the joint section, and being finished in the form of segments of spheres, on their opposite ends, which segmental faces fit in correspondingly bored seats in the adjoining-ends of the steam admission passage and of the steam pipe, thereby forming ball or universal joints therewith, by which the accurate adjustment and maintenance of the connection of the valve chest with the steam pipe is insured. The joint section is detachably secured to A nozzle, 17, may be formed on the the steam admission passage and steam pipe, by bolts, 18, fitting in radial slots in the end flanges, 17, of the joint section, and having nuts, 18, bearing on the flanges of the steam admission passage and the steam pipe. In cases where the valve chest is applied to old cylinders having steam passages cored in their saddles for communication with inside steam )ipes, it is desirable that these passages s ould be filled up with cement or iron chips and sal-ammoniac, to prevent accumulation of water therein.

It will be seen that the provision of the detachable joint section and its connections, as above described, enables the valve chest to be conveniently and accurately connected to the outside steam pipe, and readily re; moved from position and replaced whenever required. iy reason of the relative inclination of the end faces of the joint section, the insertion of said section induces a wedging'action on the steam admission passage of the valve chest and the steam pipe, and therebv promotes the maintenance of tightness of the joints.

'e claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination, with a locomotive boiler smoke box. of a steam supply pipe ex tending through the smoke box shell and terminating exteriorly thereto, a. valve chest having an outwardly projecting steam passage, a joint section interposed between the admission passage and the outer end of the steam supply pipe, and having relatiwly inclined end faces parallel with adjoining faces on said passage and pipe, and means for detachably connecting said joint see tion to the exposed end of said steam sup ply pipe and to the valve chest admission passag .5. The combination, with a locomotive boiler smoke box, of a steam supply pipe extending through the smoke box shell and terminating cxteriorly thereto, a valve chest having an outwardly projectinf steam passage, a joint section interposed between the admission passage and the outer end ofthe steam supply pipe, and having relatively inclined end facesparallel with adjoining faces on said passage and pipe, spherical faced joint rings fitting between the joint section and the admission passage and steam pipe, and means for detachably connecting said joint section to the exposed end of said stean'i supply pipe and to the valve chest admission passage. e

I). The combination, with a locomotive boiler smoke box, of a steam supply pipe extending through the smoke box and terminating extcriorly thereto, a valve chest having an outwardly projecting steam passage, a joint section interposed between the admission passage and the outer end of the steam supply pipe, and having relatively inclined end faces parallel with adjoining faces on said passage and pipe and surrounded lvv circun'iferential flanges, and T headed bolts passing through radial slots in said flanges, and provided with nuts on their opposite ends for detachably connect-' ing said joint section to said passage and 1 )e. pl JOHN F. MUI-ILFELD;

HAL R. STAFFORD. W itnesses I "IMILY L, MYERs, ,IIELnn F. MCDEVITT. 

